


Outside My Life

by Xazz



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Enemy Lovers, Fake Dating, Fake Flirting, M/M, Mutual Pining, gambit - Freeform, idiots to lover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29167632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xazz/pseuds/Xazz
Summary: Shin and the Drifter really have it out for each other. Maybe a littletoo muchand the Young Wolf is really quite over it. She'll make them admit their feelings even if it kills them.
Relationships: The Drifter/Shin Malphur
Comments: 3
Kudos: 22





	Outside My Life

**Author's Note:**

> Fucking acelion giving me god damn feels about this stupid ass ship. I didn't even ASK for this and this stupid fic wouldn't leave me alone until it was done. To avoid calling the Guardian... The Guardian through the entire thing, even to herself, I just shortened one of her nicknames, so Wolf because Saladin is my favorite Sad Titan Dad okay?????

They were good at not being an active listener. When every Guardian large or small wanted your attention and to just ramble on about things or needing help the best thing you could do to keep sane was to just not really pay attention. It helped they were known for just not saying anything. You could always count on the Young Wolf to be an ‘excellent listener’. You could just talk at her all you wanted really. She’d learned to not retain much. There was too much noise and garbage from most Guardians in their day to day. The only active listening they did was when the Vanguard had something important to say, someone pissed her off and she was about to shove her entire gun in their mouth, or she was with her fireteam and they amused her enough to engage in the conversation.

So Wolf wasn’t listening to Drifter as he was talking at her while she had her head in the recaster. It was after hours, there was no one else around or people waiting in line to drop their engrams into the recaster hoping for some armor with a bit more plating or a touch more maneuverability or a gun with a barrel they liked or a stock that wasn’t shit in their grip. Wolf hadn’t been to the Annex in a few days and she had too many, they were actually taking up space on her ship in a way she couldn’t avoid. She barely cared what was in them.

Except she really needed a new sword.

Nothing wrong with her current sword. It was a fine sword. Good grip, excellent guard, sharp as could be. But she wanted one just like it but in a different color and she didn’t want to take the time to switch the colors all the time.

Drifter was still going on as she stared into the recaster. Maybe about Gambit? Or how boring shit was in the Tower lately. Or about ‘moon beam’ or whatever stupid nickname of the month he’d picked for Eris. Who knew. Wolf wasn’t paying him any mind.

Until she was and regretted it instantly.

“Did he just say that?” Wolf asked her Ghost inside her helmet, external speakers off.

“Say what? I wasn’t listening,” her Ghost said like a proper lad who knew not to listen to Drifter either.

From her spot at the recaster Wolf slowly looked up and over at Drifter on the raised area in the room. He was against the back railing looking at his Taken containment cell. He was still talking. And then he said it again. “Dude,” she said. She’d never call Drifter jumpy or surprised by anything, but her voice positively startled him. She was poised to drop another fated engram into the recaster, staring at him. “Did you just say you wanted to fuck the Light out of someone?”

Drifter looked uncomfortable. “You were listening?”

“Not on purpose. Should I go?” Drifter said nothing. He just stared at Wolf a while. She stared back and it started to get even more uncomfortable than usual when Drifter was involved. “I’m just gonna go,” and she dropped the engram into the recaster. It spat out a not-sword and she immediately let her Ghost turn it into glimmer, not even looking at it. She had six of those guns already, all better than anything most Guardians had.

She ducked under the gate and her Ghost appeared next to her. “Did he actually say that?” he asked her.

“Don’t wanna talk about it,” was all she said, voice strained. Ghost, wisely, dropped it.

* * *

For once Wolf was without her helmet around the Tower. Most Guardians knew her face so she kept it in a helmet to avoid Guardians wanting to come up and talk. But it was early. Not early by Hunter standards but by normal Guardian standards. So there was no one in the Tower. Meaning she could stand in front of the Vault in some sort of peace and breathe the fresh Tower air without being harassed.

Wolf kept a tidy Vault. Tidy did not mean empty. But she didn’t keep garbage around. It was the weekly clean out, look through the Vault, pick out the stuff she didn’t need and turn it back into glimmer and maybe hold onto a few parts that might be useful. 

She let out and inaudible sigh when someone came up and leaned against the wall next to the terminal she was using. She didn’t even look at them. “Hey, Wolf.” She recognized the voice. Not many Guardians would.

“Shin,” was all she said. That’d be the only words she spoke the entire conversation if she was lucky.

Shin was a wilderness Hunter. When he wasn’t busy showing off in Gambit he’d be gone for weeks or months on some hunt or another. So he wasn’t around a lot. And when he hadn’t been around other people in months he got chatty, just like any other Hunter. Wolf was his favorite thing to talk at the same reason others liked to talk at her. She was a ‘good listener’.

She just tuned Shin out and pulled another gun from her Vault. Bow. Had a good bow string but she wasn’t a fan of the long bow style ones. They felt slippery. But it was a nice bow. Had all the good mods you could want. She’d feel bad dismantling it. She slotted it back into the Vault and pulled out a hand canon. After a quick once over Wolf determined it was shit and it evaporated into glimmer into her hand aside from the stock. Ghost knew she liked the stock. It was pretty.

Shin wasn’t talking about anything really. She thought. Or maybe he was complaining about certain weapons appearing too often in Gambit. She wasn’t even sure that was what he was going on about but she rolled her eyes anyway. Just because you didn’t use the gun, Shin, and insisted on close range only didn’t mean Guardians were cheap or bad shots for getting him in the temple with a linear fusion rifle three times in a row.

She pulled out another hand canon. It also became glimmer. So did the one after that and the three scouts after that.

She clicked the wrong button on the terminal by accident and a rocket launcher she wasn’t prepared for appeared in her hands and she took a step back, holding it. “You good?” Shin asked.

“Wrong one,” and she shoved it back into the Vault.

But dammit now she was listening and it was the most annoying shit in the world Shin was talking about. She wasn’t quite keeping up with the conversation he was having with himself at her but something about a guy who always pissed him off. Which could have been anyone because a lot of people pissed Shin off. In fact it was safe to say that the number of people who didn’t piss Shin off could be counted on one hand. She started getting bored as Shin listed off this guy’s numerous negtive traits; warlock, scum, slimey, twitchy, warlock, stupid smile, annoying voice, acted way too friendly with everyone, gave people stupid nicknames, and oh Wolf did he mention they were a filthy warlock.

“Shin,” she said when he stopped to breathe. He paused. “Do you want me to just shoot this guy for you? Because it sounds like this guy sucks and I will totally shoot him for you,” she said.

“What? No. If I wanted him shot I’d just do it myself!” For a second he flared up hot, indignant. For such an old Guardian he sure did flare up like a young one who couldn’t control his Light when flustered or directly confronted about stuff. Maybe because he’d been alive before he’d been made a Guardian. If it wasn’t Shin it would have almost been cute, endearing.

“Okay.” Her helmet appeared on her head. “Now what?” Wolf sighed. Someone important was actually trying to contact her if Ghost put her helmet on. Ghost patched them through. It was Cat. “What? I’m busy organizing my Vault.”

“Girl, that takes you like three hours,” Cat said.

“Your point?” Shin was talking again, she absolutely was not listening. Now he was railing about Wolf getting into his business. He was the one who came up and started chatting in the first place.

“I can’t sleep.” Liar. But whatever. “My fave store down in the City is still open.”

“I don’t see how this involves me,” Wolf said, ignoring Shin and about to ignore Cat as she pulled a pulse rifle out to look at next.

“They’re having a saleeee,” Cat said in a sing-song voice.

Wolf made a face. “Finnnne. I’ll meet you there,” and then she tugged her helmet off, letting Ghost turn that pulse into glimmer and a cute weapon ornament that had been hanging off it. “You done?” Wolf asked Shin.

“Should I be?”

“Fireteam needs me. So unless you’ve got something urgent...?” Shin said nothing. “Cool, good talk,” and she put her helmet back on and left Shin by the Vaults. 

* * *

Unlike the Crucible Drifter actually did commentate every match of Gambit. Shaxx just picked the ones he wanted to yell about when he had a second from actually running the Crucible. Drifter ran the entire thing himself, including commentary. Not like more than one simulation could run in the derelict at once anyway.

That meant that if you actually wanted to play Gambit you had to really want to play Gambit. Because you mostly sat in orbit above some planet waiting for your turn to play, watching other Gambit matches. For that reason most Guardians stayed clear of Gambit. Wasn’t worth their effort or time wasted in orbit.

Wolf used the queue times to catch up on her sleep. Ghost woke her up when it was her turn next. She dreamt of Hive a lot, of the Ascendant Realm. It had started with that brat Crota and had never really stopped. Hard to not dream about the Gods you’ve killed.

She didn’t sleep a lot.

Ghost woke her up the match before hers so she could set up, stretch, and put on her armor. Not that Drifter hadn’t transmatted her early once on accident and she’d just been in boots, pants, and a thermal layer top, literally in the process of putting on her breast plate.

She’d shot a hole through every one of his stupid green coins while holding him by the scruff of his neck for that and only because she knew his Ghost wasn’t around to res him did she not put a hole through his stupid head too. Not even for the embarrassment, she hadn’t felt any. But the hack of jumping her ship’s transmat was inexcusable.

He didn’t do that anymore. He just waited for her to respond to the transmat request. Even Drifter knew not to fuck with Wolf.

She watched the end of the game on one of the screens on her ship, adjusting her hood and cape just so, so it looked like she hadn’t spent ten minutes fiddling with it. Then the primeval was dead. It hadn’t even been close. Disappointing was the word that came to mind.

A transmat request came in shortly after the feed cut. Ghost looked at her. “Acknowledge,” she said.

She appeared on the derelict with the other members of her random fireteam. Ghost switched her over to fireteam comms. Two of them were friends and trying Gambit for the third time, both Warlocks. Their fourth was another Hunter. “I swear he does this on purpose,” she muttered. It was Shin Malphur. Somehow she always got paired with Shin, if he was around. It was like Drifter did it on purpose.

“Well you’re going to win at least,” Ghost said helpfully. Yeah that was true. Even carrying two pieces of dead weight of the untested Warlocks she knew Shin would bully the other team into being less than a threat. Once a team had just stopped playing after Shin wiped their team six times in a row. It had just been mean.

As usual Wolf didn’t listen to Drifter as he prattled on about how great this match of Gambit was going to be. “Dredgen,” Wolf said politely over comms.

“Wolf,” Shin didn’t want people to know he played Gambit, she couldn’t fathom why, so he used a voice modulator. It was extra annoying because it made him sound hot. Not a word she ever wanted to associate with Shin Malphur.

“You not going to bitch about linears like last time?”

“If they don’t annoy me,” he shrugged as Drifter was still going on about the romance of Gambit.

“Are you two also a fireteam?” one of the Warlocks asked.

“Nah. I hate this guy,” Wolf said. He reached over and punched her shoulder.

She didn’t even hear what they were killing before they were transmatted out. Not like it really mattered.

* * *

As she expected the primeval went down without issue. Shin hadn’t been able to bully the other team too hard because she’d actually needed him on their side of the field most of the time to make up for their two inexperienced Warlocks who didn’t know that no, you really did need to kill the blockers as fast as possible to avoid losing your bank. Halfway through the match she’d just switched into her protector gear to deal with the blockers.

After the game they were transmatted back to the derelict where they could collect their rewards and turn in their bounties. The rewards were engramed with a weak cypher their Ghosts could decode without much effort.

“That was way too much work for this,” Shin said in his modulated voice as he held a Gnawing Hunger.

“I mean I’d take it,” Wolf said.

“To add to your Ahamkara’s hoard of glimmer? No, I think not,” but Shin’s Ghost did just turn it into a pile of glimmer, save for a green Gambit coin otherwise lodged into the barrel wrappings. Shin tucked it away into a pouch on his person that jingled with others green coins.

Wolf looked over their Bad Omens they’d gotten. It wasn’t useful. It turned into a pile of glimmer too. “Mine’s bigger than yours,” she smirked under her helmet.

“Your cloak is stupid.”

“At least I know what color is,” she said. She could imagine Shin’s annoyed face.

“Wow this gun is so cool!” one of their Warlock randoms said. Both Wolf and Shin looked over at them with a touch of disdain thinking the same thing as the Warlock started telling their friend about the gun: fucking Warlocks. Wolf immediately transmatted out.

* * *

Her Ghost had been bugging her for days to go back to the Annex, dump all the umbrals. They were starting to build up in her ship again. But Wolf still remembered the last time they’d been down there and oh boy she did not want a repeat of that. Bad enough she knew about Drifter’s sad and lonely bullshit. She didn’t need to know he was hungry too. It was like your weird uncle getting drunk and telling you about wanting to fuck your cousin. Or something.

Hard pass.

But work still had to be done. Wolf waited until they knew Drifter would have seen the last Gambit hopeful out or cut off a Guardian from rolling the recaster too much like they had an addiction.

The grate was half closed when Wolf showed up but the lights were still on, meaning Drifter was closed but hadn’t left yet. Most Guardians took that as a sign to leave. She just ducked under it.

“Oi! Can’t you see I’m closed up here,” she heard his voice from somewhere near the Taken Light containment pod but out of sight.

“Yeah but you’ll make an exception for us, won’t you partner?” her Ghost asked. She was already going over to the recaster. 

Drifter stuck his head out from around the containment pod. “Well well, if it ain’t my favorite Guardian. Haven’t seen you in a hot minute.”

“We’ve been busy,” her Ghost said and to make a point of it he just transmatted all the umbral engrams next to her in a pile. It was almost as tall as her. She smiled slightly under her helmet when Drifter howled with laughter. Could always count on Ghost to lighten the mood.

He came over and leaned against the recaster. “Too busy for your old buddy Drifter lately too huh?”

“You’re on the short list,” Ghost said to appease him, she was looking into the recaster, not paying either of them much mind. Drifter was happy to talk to Ghost instead of her if needed.

“Haven’t seen you in Gambit for a while. Some of the others thinking they can get away with whatever they want,” Drifter said.

“We’ve been busy,” Ghost said.

“Yeah yeah yeah it’s all work with you both. Live a little. You only got forever! Or however long until kingdom come comes knocking at our door,” Drifter laughed. She just tilted her helmet up like she was giving him a look, she was still looking at the recaster screen. When you were as good as Wolf at pretending to be a good listener you learned a thing or two. “Were real chummy with my Dredgen last time.”

She didn’t remember that. “Drifter, we’re also one of your paper dredgens,” Ghost said. She heard the sound of annoyed leather from Drifter shifting his stance.

“I thought we were your favorite Dredgen,” Wolf said, mild, casual, just to see what would happen.

“Nah. You’re to bright, hot stuff,” Drifter scoffed.

She was quiet for a second, the recaster hissed and spat another not-sword into her hands. “You know that dredgen? I’m shocked you have other friends, good for you,” she pushed his buttons.

Drifter was instantly insulted. “Woah woah that isn’t what I said,” he insisted. “Drifter ain’t friends with no one.”

“Except us, right partner?” Ghost said, doing a very good impression of Drifter’s accent on it too.

Drifter scowled at them both. “I like it better when you don’t talk, kid.”

She was quiet again, dropped a few more engrams into the recaster. Finally one was a sword. Wrong sword. They all were turned back into glimmer. “He’s a friend,” she finally said. “Don’t think too much about it.”

“Heh, so me and Moondust ain’t the only wrong railed Lightbearers you’re chums with,” he teased her.

Now she did look at him. “Do you even know who’s in that helmet?” Wolf asked, casual.

“Who can say?” Drifter gave her a wry smile. She saw through him. He did.

She looked back down at the recaster, dropped a few more engrams in. Not-swords all of them, even while fated. How frustrating. She just let the glimmer collect on the floor at her feet. Her stores back on her rig were full. Drifter was very keenly aware of said glimmer. “Do me a favor, stare at Shin’s ass on your own time, not when I’m trying to make a gambit match not drag,” she said and dropped her last engram into the recaster. Drifter wasn’t easily read but the widening of the eyes, the way his mouth opened slightly. He said nothing, not even a glare.

“Bye, Drifter,” Ghost called behind them cheerfully as Wolf just walked to the grate and ducked under it again. “That was fun,” he bounced in the air next to her, shell spinning cheerfully.

She smiled slightly. “Yeah. Always fun to fuck with Drifter,” she agreed and made a left not a right to go see Ada-1.

* * *

Wolf got roped into the dumbest shit sometimes. Like being the referee for Bear and Rat’s pissing contests. It had to be a Titan thing, she and Cat never did this. And she was pretty sure Lizard and Fox just sort of tolerated each other for the sake of the team. 

She was boredly watching them have a duel in a currently unused Crucible arena. Melee only. Rat claimed she could outpunch Bear and he’d taken that to heart. So they were just running around like children trying to launch the other into a wall. It had been amusing at first but after the first twelve rounds three hours ago she was bored of it. But they made her stick around to ‘keep the other honest’. Which was the stupidest thing she’d ever heard. They were Titans. That was sort of their thing. She’d also never heard Rat tell a lie in her life.

She looked over when someone sat down next to her. “How the fuck did you find me all the way out here?” Wolf asked.

“Wasn’t hard. Asked around, Shaxx told me,” Shin shrugged. “Well he told me Rat and Bear were having a punching contest. I knew you’d be here,” he corrected himself.

“Cool,” not cool. If Shin was here that meant he wasn’t out there meaning he was in the Tower for a week or so.

“You good?” Shin asked.

“Hmm? Yeah. I’ve just been here three hours,” then she switched comms. “Bear won that one,” she said.

“What! Bullshit!” Rat yelled.

“I call ‘em like I see ‘em,” she shrugged. She looked at Shin. “Why are Titans like this?” Wolf asked Shin and rubbed the side of her helmet like it was her face.

“I dunno,” he said. “You want to Gambit?”

“Not right now. I’m ‘busy’,” she said.

He chuckled. “Later.”

“Yeah, sure. It’s been a while.”

“Went down to Annex to collect. Drifter’s all worked up. You say something to him?”

“How is Drifter throwing a tantrum my fault?”

“Because you’re the only one who can make him like that,” Shin said simply. “Not that I blame you. If I had that slimey fucker calling me ‘brother’ all the time he calls you sister I’d want to shove it in his face too.”

Wolf looked at him slowly. “Oh,” she said. Well that was annoying.

‘Oh?” Shin asked when she didn’t elaborate.

“Why you care he’s all worked up?” Wolf probed. Shin was worked up too. She hadn’t noticed before because he was sitting. He kept touching the outside of his thigh like he was reaching for his gun, antsy about something.

“Wolfy! Who got that one?” Bear called over comms.

She looked down at her pummeled Titan friends. “Not you,” she said, she hadn’t been paying attention to them that punching match. Rat jumped, arms up, she was sure on a private line with Bear.

“I don’t care,” Shin spat once she’d dealt with her Titans. 

“Sure seems like it to us,” Ghost said. He probably didn’t know what she was thinking but he was always down to mess with someone if she started it.

“What’s got you all lit up, huh?” Wolf prodded a bit more.

“Nothing! Alright! Geeze, Drifter’s just acting weird causa’ you. How’d this turn into about me?”

“Because it’s always about Shin Malphur,” she teased him. She knew he hated that. But what good was it being a living legend and being friends with one if you couldn’t make fun of it. She couldn’t see his face but could imagine his scowl. His baby face did such a shitty scowl. She leaned back on one arm, away from him. “I dunno why you even play along with Drifter’s lil game,” she continued. She was half seeing if she was right half just wanting to see if he’d get riled up. “I thought you killed his old boss and everyone like him.”

“He’s not a Dredgen anymore,” Shin hissed.

“Nah. You are now, paper Dredgen. Surprised you wear that when we play.”

Shin said nothing. But he didn’t seem mad. It was like all the Light had bleached out of him at once. “Shin? You alright?” Ghost asked. “You know we’re just messing with you. Wolf doesn’t actually think you’re a Dredgen.”

Didn’t she though? He sounded a lot like the stories of Yor and his Shadows to her. Went out hunting Lightbearers. Made his own fate by abruptly changing those of others on his own prerogative. But she wasn’t here to judge Shin. How many times had Wolf just done whatever she wanted despite what the Vanguard thought, or previously the Speaker? She hated to admit it but the rules were different for Guardians like her, and for Shin. Or at least that’s what she told herself to keep the guilt about consorting with the Cabal Emperor, or the Queen, or any number of things from biting too deeply into her mind.

“Right,” Shin said, delayed. The Light still seemed drained out of him. “I think your friends have given up you keeping an eye on them,” his helmet angled just so to indicate he was looking down.

Her Titans were just lying on their backs, looking up at them. When they noticed they were being looked at Bear waved. Good, so not playing dead. “I’m busy, go play somewhere else, children,” she called over her helmet speaker down to them. Bear and Rat both laughed. She knew they were talking over private comms. She ignored them. Shin was still all worked up about some bullshit. “Don’t let Drifter get to you. He’s, mostly, harmless,” she shrugged.

“You’d know huh?”

“I like to think I know Drifter better than most,” she said.

“He’s told us.”

“You know he’s a liar,” Shin said.

“Yeah. So’s everyone else. Don’t let it get you worked up or it’ll eat you up.”

Shin said nothing for a beat. “What’d you say to him anyway?”

She rolled her eyes. “I told him to stop staring at your ass when we played together-

“WHAT!?”

She laughed and down below Bear and Rat laughed too when Shin shot to his feet, suddenly glowing with brilliant Solar fury. Ghost tucked himself away, just to be safe. Shin was a Ghost killer after all.

“Chill, dude, it was a joke to fuck with him,” she waved her hand placatingly. Shin stared down at her, Light pouring out of the eyes of his helmet. Oh he was mad. She wasn’t scared of him though. All he could do was shoot her. She leaned back casually. “Unless you’re into that I guess?” Wolf teased him. Shin’s helmet burned. Then, without a word, Shin transmatted away.

“Damn Wolfy, what’d you say to him to make him do that?” Bear asked over comms.

“Told him Drifter wanted to fuck him,” she laughed. Bear and Rat howled. She grinned under her helmet.

“I wouldn’t wish that on a guy I hate, and you’re friends with both those freaks of Light?” Rat snickered. “Ice cold, girl.”

“Eh, need to knock ‘em down a peg or two,” she shrugged.

“Since your Gambit bud ain’t bothering you anymore you ready to keep watching again?” Bear asked.

“Yeah, to make sure he doesn’t cheat,” Rat punched his shoulder.

“I never cheat you lying shrimp.”

“I never lie you overgrown walnut,” and they both got to their feet, ready to resume their punching match.

“Yeah, I guess,” Wolf sighed. Guess she had nothing else to do. She’d successfully ruffled Drifter and Shin’s feathers just with shit they’d done themselves. The least she could do was finish her day with her friends trying to punch each other through a wall. 

* * *

If you wanted to play Gambit you had to run on Gambit hours. You got up well before Drifter opened his gate, and milled around with other Gambiteers who wanted bounties or to use the recaster. Wolf knew Drifter barely slept. He could have kept the gate open all damn day and night if he wanted to. But he liked to make the Guardians wait. Kept ‘em honest, he said.

Wolf was in the back of the small crowd, half of which she knew were Drifter’s paper Dredgens. Guardians walking around with titles worn by a dangerous group like Yor and his Shadows made the Vanguard nervous. Or at least made Zavala nervous. Ikora was only amused by it. She saw what Drifter was doing. Wolf didn’t wear the title. She had it. Didn’t feel the need to let everyone know about it.

“Well well, ain’t you a group of hungry kids out here,” Drifter said at the gate. “Well come on in,” and he opened it. The Guardians were at least courteous and formed short lines. Drifter handed out bounties and soft encrypted engrams and Guardians dropped their engrams through the recaster and left as quickly as they could just to make room for the next Guardian. Wolf just waited down the hall, leaning against a wall, waiting for the cramped Annex room to empty.

Once Guardians had gotten their fill of the recaster or of Drifter’s comments and bounties they cleared out. Some transmatting straight back to their ship to await derelict coordinates on where the games would be that day, others went back out into the Annex to get other business in the Tower done. Wolf waited until over half of them were gone before going into the room. Drifter had today’s bounties mounted on a holo display board next to him. Ghost accepted them, adding them to her full clutch she was still sitting on.

“Morning, kid,” Drifter said as she also tapped the consol that was displaying the dailies for a couple extras.

“Drifter,” Ghost said.

“You ready for some fun?”

“If by fun you mean shooting our enemies in the head, then yes, we are,” Ghost said cheerfully. 

A few more Guardians trailed in after the main batch. You had to come early in the morning because Gambit matches lasted all Earth day and the gate was only open when Drifter was in, early morning or late at night. It was why most Guardians didn’t play. Too much hassle, too much time. They just came to recast if they got an umbral and moved on. Drifter did it on purpose.

“Good. Because I got some surprises for you today.”

“I’m sure we’ll do fine,” Ghost said.

“Just you wait.”

“Drifter, I’ve literally killed three Hive Gods. You’ll have to be pretty surprising to get me,” Wolf said, casually. Drifter scowled at her.

“Well hopefully this makes you think!” Drifter grinned with his teeth at her, eyes squinted in more than just a smile. Shin hadn’t been wrong. She’d really ruffled his fluffy pauldrons. She just leaned against the opposite railing casually.

“I hope so too,” she said. “You know I like a good challenge.”

“Well I certainly hope you like what I got cooked up for ya, sister,” Drifter said.

The other Guardians had come and gone now- except for one recasting a dozen umbrals, the hissing of the recaster the only sound in the room- when someone else came into the room. Another Hunter. She glanced them over and it took a second for her to recognize them. It was Shin, collecting his dailies, not looking at either of them. She hadn’t recognized him because he was wearing a different cape. It was longer, wider, the muffler higher, hood deeper so the tip almost draped against his shoulder.

Wolf didn’t know Shin owned other capes. His normal one was so shot up and ragged and it was all she ever saw him in. This one wasn’t nice either but it was just dirty, not all fucked up like his usual one. Then he left, not even acknowledging either of them, transmatting right out from where he was standing. The Guardian at the recaster also left after swearing a bit about getting garbage.

“Well, guess you can’t stare at his ass today,” Wolf said, just to be a shit.

Drifter glared at her. “Enough of that bullshit,” he snarled.

“I’m just saying,” she said in a sing-song voice.

“Shin’s shit, got it? Boy too big for his tall tale,” he pointed an accusing finger at her.

“He’s got a baby face too, you know that?” Wolf asked. Drifter’s face was still in surprise. “Too bad he’s a fucker or he’d be real cute,” she shrugged like it didn’t matter. “See you in orbit,” and she left him there, face stuck like that.

* * *

Wolf did not like Drifter’s surprise. Not one bit. She played four games of Gambit that day and every time she ‘randomly’ was matched against Shin. And Drifter knew she knew he was doing it to fuck with her because every time the portal was up he’d go ‘oh, looks like one of my Dredgens is on their way to mess you up! Deal with him’. As if Wolf wasn’t the only one who could reasonably put up a fight against someone like Shin Malphur. 

So she did. And put him down about half the time. She knew that’d grate him. He wasn’t used to not just having free reign on the opponent's side of the field when he invaded. The other half of the time she just couldn’t find him. He knew she’d hunt him down and send him back so he was careful to stay off her radar, clap her teammates while she was on the other side of the map and couldn’t get to them. It was incredibly frustrating to play against and she felt bad for all the times she’d benefited from Shin being a monster.

At the end of the day of Gambit everyone was transmatted onto the derelict to turn in their bounties and collect their gear if they’d earned any. Most everyone took their stuff and left. A few of Drifter’s paper Dredgens hung around, chatted each other up, and chatted Drifter up. She was just waiting for them to leave. 

Eventually they all did leave. Wolf peeled herself out of the metal chair she’d found herself in while waiting and headed for Drifter. She didn’t make it to him first.

“What sort of bullshit was that?” Shin’s voice modulation didn’t let him snap but damn he was trying. Wolf hung back. Not the conversation she planned to have with Drifter but if Shin wanted to lay into him first she wasn’t going to complain.

“I’m afraid I don’t follow, Dredgen,” Drifter said, easy, leaning on the railing overlooking the transmat area where he did his coin trick.

“You know what,” Shin said.

“Oh what? Giving you a fair fight for once, hot shot?” Drifter grinned widely.

“That’s not why you did it and you know it,” Shin was so mad but the voice regulator made him sound mildly annoyed. She wasn’t sure this was just about them being on opposite teams. She knew they were both acting weird. Had something happened?

Oh bother.

“Just luck of the draw, hot shot,” Drifter winked at Shin. “Can’t get lucky every time.”

“Bullshit,” Shin shot back.

“Can’t have the Guardian carry you to victory every time, Dredgen,” Drifter said. Shin pulled out his gun. “Ooooo, spooky.”

Wolf approached, “Let’s not,” she put her hand on Shin’s wrist.

“What are you doing?”

“Yeah, let him go ahead. Ha! Not like it’ll do much,” Drifter jeered.

Children. “Don’t make him right. He’ll be insufferable,” she said over private comms to Shin.

“I shoulda shot him a while ago,” he growled, the voice adjuster making it almost static.

“Fine, lemme say what I wanted to say first would ya?” Wolf asked him. He made a show of waving his arms, motioning for her to go, lowering his weapon but not putting it away. She looked at Drifter. “That was fun. Next time you want to get back me, do it yourself,” and Drifter scowled at her. “What? I ruin it for you for enjoying it?” Wolf teased him.

“Full of surprises, ain’t ya kid?”

“One person wonder kid,” she said, bored already. “That was all. Now you guys can argue, shoot each other, hate fuck or whatever dumb shit you’re going to do. Later,” and she transmatted out before they could say anything to her. She had a feeling Shin would do the same right after. What a dweeb. At least Drifter wasn’t going to get shot today. Yet, anyway.

* * *

There was a bulgogi place down in the City that was one of Wolf’s favorite places to go. Cheap, spicy, and somehow tasted like a memory she couldn’t remember. It was the best bulgogi she’d ever had too and she’d tried every restaurant in the City and Tower that sold it.

The place she liked to go to was open Hunter Late so she could always get some when she couldn’t sleep. Which was all the time. The owners knew her, so did all the workers. They didn’t know she was the Young Wolf, Bane of Crota, Oryx Slayer, Shadow of Calus or any of those other names she’d picked up since she’d been reborn but that was why she liked it. They actually called her by her name, one she heard so unoften around the Tower she oftentimes forgot what it even was.

She was eating her bowl of bulgogi with a determined slowness to enjoy every morsel. She also had rice, noodles, and an array of vegetables around her. She knew half her fireteam would have scoffed at the amount of vegetables. They were immortal, they didn’t need to eat healthy. She was the only one in the place too. She was pretty sure they stayed open this late just for her because she was such a regular customer when she wasn’t off world.

“Now what?” Wolf groaned aloud, mouth full of beef and noodles when someone sat across from her. A Guardian someone by how heavy they were. “Oh for fuck’s sake Shin, I’m eating,” he had a scowl on his face and was back in his normal raggedy cape.

“What the fuck is your issue?” Shin did his best impression of a snarl. His helmet was off. He looked like he’d fit right in here if not for the Guardian armor.

“I’m trying to eat bulgogi here,” she said.

“What the fuck was that at the derelict?”

“What? Me stopping you from shooting him or the other bit?”

“The other bit,” he snarled.

She shrugged and ate some pickles. “You two seem real high strung on each other-

“Yeah because I want to shoot him,” Shin snapped.

“You could do that any time,” she casually ate her pickles. “Haven’t yet. You hesitated on the derelict.”

“I did not,” he was offended. “I never hesitate.”

She didn’t call him out on it. “So you yell at him a bit more because I got to shoot you a little?” Wolf said instead.

Shin was all hot in his hood, projecting it at her like a heat lamp. “What he did was bullshit and you know it.” She shrugged. “What? You don’t care?”

“It’s a game, Shin,” she said idly. “It ain’t serious. It's a joke to him even. Now you going to keep busting me up because I made a joke or what?”

“It was a mean joke.”

She rolled her eyes. “Then shoot him faster next time. You get so worked up about anything Drifter related it's ridiculous.”

“I do not.”

“You tracked me down, in the City, to be mad I insinuated you and Drifter fuck,” she said, dead pan.

“It’s the principle of the thing.”

“Dude, get over it. But fine, whatever. I’ll keep you and Drifter’s private life jokes to myself I guess,” that didn’t make him happy but it did make him cool off. Could he be more transparent? “You want some bulgogi?” Wolf asked him.

“What is it?”

“Meat,” she said, knowing the answer and his opinions on it.

“I’m a vegetarian,” he said.

“Cool. Then fuck off, I’m eating instead.” He scowled but did get up and walk away. “Why are old Guardians so fucking stupid?” Wolf asked herself.

“Everything all right?” her server asked her.

“Yes. It’s wonderful,” she smiled brightly. Always had a smile for a Lightless. They were just happy she was around.

“Friend of yours?”

“Unfortunately.”

“He seemed very upset.”

“He’s mad he’s got feelings,” she rolled his eyes.

“Oh. For you?”

Wolf coughed, swallowing some spit and almost dying in the stupidest way imaginable and that included jumping off the Tower multiple times just to see what would happen when she was younger. “What? No. Traveler, no. I hope not,” she made a face. Her server gigged. “Someone else. Who he also hates. It’s complicated.”

“It sounds so. You’re good at helping people. Maybe you could help him?”

“Nah he wants to be mad about— actually, that sounds like a great idea,” Wolf grinned.

“Really? I’m glad I could help you,” she said. “Did you need anything else?”

“Not right now, thank you,” she bowed her head politely. She was used to the servers getting all blushy when she showed them such respect and today was no different. Her server practically ran away, face beet red, probably to tell the owner, their parents, that Wolf had been overly nice to them. She chuckled to herself and went back to her bulgogi.

* * *

When she transmatted into the Gambit pre match she was pleasantly surprised to see Shin on her team again. He was wearing his overly long cloak again. She reached over and picked at it. “We gotta get you a better cloak, bud,” she said.

“It’s fine,” he grunted.

“It’s dirty. At least wash it.”

“Says the lady with the golden threaded cloak.”

“Hey, I got a reputation to maintain,” she said.

The voice modulator didn’t translate a scoff very well. “Right. Glad I ain’t got one of those anymore.”

They transmatted into the firefight. She’d missed what they were shooting. “Only because you’re a goblin of a Hunter,” she said, running with their fireteam to see what it was.

The banter continued all game except when Shin jumped through the invader portal and he was out of local private comms range. She was hardly listening to Drifter’s callouts on a good play or where enemies were. She was just chatting with Shin, while lining up her shot or picking up motes, or congratulating him on a good invasion. When they’d cross paths by the purple glimmer generators she’d give his cloak a teasing tug, reminding him he needed to get it washed, or giving him a pat on the shoulder.

By the end of the match, which they won, Drifter’s voice over comms was positively ice cold.

Oh good. So that worked at least.

Shin didn’t usually participate in post game shenanigans where you picked up your weapons. Today Wolf made him. “This is stupid,” Shin said, trying his best to sound aggravated through his voice adjuster.

“Live a little ya old bastard,” and she held her hand out. “It wouldn’t kill ya to get with the times.”

“You young Guardians are so bizarre,” he complained but after a second clapped her hand a few times with his own. “There, I did it. Happy?”

“Yeap! See you next game,” and that was his cue to transmat out. She glanced over at Drifter who had just started another match. He wasn’t commentating. He had been looking right at them, face pulled down into a scowl. She didn’t acknowledge him and transmatted back to her own ship. 

Next game was much the same. She just bantered with Shin the entire time, ignoring Drifter’s call outs. Times Shin wasn’t invading they started counting kills for their otherwise underpowered random fireteam members to go collect the motes. It was a fun game they came up with without speaking to each other about it. Who could get the most kills. They barely managed to kill the prime first because they were both so invested in killing the waves of small fry that came along with them. Shin was in a better mood at the end of that game and just sighed but did do the stupid hand shake Wolf insisted on teaching him that time.

The third game they were on different teams. She just waved to him through the barriers. He made a show of looking away from her. That game was weird. Shin didn’t invade at all. Some Titan kept trying to bully them instead but she and her teammates shut him down every time he appeared on their side. Since they were on other teams she couldn’t force Shin to do a stupid handshake at the end.

The fourth and fifth games she played that day she didn’t get matched up with Shin at all, on her team or on the opponent’s team.

Drifter was such a killjoy. Though he’d looked pretty sour the entire day after her first match. She couldn’t imagine why.

Ghost was confused when she came back to her ship at the end of the day. “I’ve never seen you be so chummy with Shin,” he said.

“Yeah. I’m trying to be a nicer friend.”

Ghost spun his back axle as she punched in the coords for the jump to take them to Earth. “You’re up to something.”

“Me?” Wolf gasped, fake offended. “I am never up to anything.”

“You can tell me.”

She plucked him out of the air and he gave a little cry of surprise. “Trust me, Ghost, you’ll figure it out,” she said nicely.

“Oh, really?” Ghost asked curiously, his shell fanning out.

“Yeap.” They’d arrived in high Earth orbit. “We’re going to be playing a lot of Gambit for a while.”

“Oh. Okay. It’s fun to play,” he said cheerfully. 

* * *

They were in orbit above Nessus and Drifter was still being pissy. First two games she’d played she hadn’t been match made with Shin at all. She went to her cockpit and sat in the chair, looking out into mostly empty space. Mostly empty because it was full of other ships. “Ghost, get me in contact with Shin’s ship, would you?”

“Patching through now,” Ghost said. The transmission beeped a few times too many, like Shin was confused he was getting a message, before he answered it.

“Hello?”

“Shin,” she said.

“Why are you pinging me?” Shin just sounded utterly confused, not upset in any way. Just why?

“You want to fireteam up?” Wolf just got right to the point.

“Huh? Oh... yeah we haven’t been match made today huh?”

“Yeah. Miss my go to invader,” she said, laying it on a lil thick.

Shin didn’t respond for a second. “Sure,” he said, unsure of himself. “You up to something?”

“No? Why would I be up to something I want to play Gambit with a friend?” Wolf asked, equally confused.

“Eh, fair enough. Guess Drifter was right, it was just lucky.”

“I’m having my Ghost send you a fireteam link. You know how to link up right?” Wolf honestly wasn’t sure. Shin was such a loner with no friends other than, basically, her, she wasn’t sure the last time he’d fireteamed with anyone for a queue system.

“I got it,” now he was cranky. “I know how to do it, geeze.”

“Well your Ghost does,” she teased him.

“I’m contemplating severing it,” he growled.

She laughed. “Yeah, but you won’t. I’ll see you on transmat,” and she disconnected the feed.

Ghost looked at her, so confused. “I’ve never seen you this friendly with Shin,” he said. “Are you sure you’re not up to something?”

“I dunno, am I?”

“I think you’re definitely up to something,” he said.

She got up from the chair and went to relax in the back of her ship. “Wake me up when I’m on deck,” she laid down on the wall mounted lounge.

“Sure,” Ghost said. But she didn’t sleep. One of those days. Sleep just didn’t come. How the fuck did Warlocks and Titans sleep so well? It was annoying.

It took a long time for Ghost to alert her it was her turn next. Drifter was being real ornery about her fireteaming with Shin huh? But he at least had to keep up appearances that he wasn’t showing unfair prejudice against Guardians just because they were fireteamed up.

Transmatting down she had a different cloak on. It looked like Shin’s. “You didn’t get your damn cloak washed like I told you,” she said when she saw him.

“It’s fine,” Shin said. “You’re copying me now.”

“Just showing you what a nice cloak looks like, that’s all,” and they were transmatted into the arena. Like yesterday it was all banter except when Shin invaded. At the end she made him do a victory move too which he grudgingly did.

“I forgot Gambit’s enjoyable when I don’t have to worry about my side of the field,” Shin said before they transmatted out.

“You playing tomorrow? We could fireteam up again?” Wolf asked sweetly. Man she could hear herself and it sounded so wrong. If Shin noticed he didn’t indicate. But also Shin was a guy and most guys didn’t notice shit girls did.

“No. I have some stuff to do-

“Like wash your damn cloak!”

He punched her in the shoulder good naturedly. “If it’ll make you shut up, fine,” he sighed. “I have a lead. I’ll be out for a week or so seeing if it’s any substance,” he shrugged.

“Hit me up when you’re back, we’ll Gambit.” She gave him the casual Hunter salute, two fingers to the temple followed by a casual two fingered point. Shin’s body language was surprised, she could only imagine his face. He hesitated, like he didn’t remember the motion, before doing the same back. Seeing that as a win she transmatted out, not before looking over Shin’s shoulder at a very disgruntled looking Drifter.

* * *

Wolf was in the middle of a patrol when something pinged her. Only certain people had access to her channel. Not surprisingly it was a very private channel. Guardians in the same area as her couldn’t just ping her. They certainly tried!

“Open that line,” she said, kneeling at the top of a building, surveying. “Who’s it from?”

“It’s encoded,” Ghost said. That didn’t set her at ease.

“Wolf?” Shin’s voice sounded over comms.

“Well well, if it isn’t my favorite invader,” she said sweetly. It had been months of this. To force Drifter’s hand they always fireteamed up and she noticed him putting entire teams of paper Dredgens up against them to try and make them lose. Didn’t do much when one was the Man with the Golden Gun and the other was a Killer of Gods. Even when dragging dead weight teammates behind them it only slowed them down a little.

“I’m back planet side. Want to get a few games in?” Shin had been out on Ganymede following a lead about an old Shadow of Yor.

“You find anything?”

“Just spit in the wind,” he grumbled. Ah. So he was grumpy and needed some cheering up hunting Guardians in Gambit.

“Yeah sure. I’m out in the ADZ right now,” she said.

“Rough out there.”

“It’s fine.”

“What’cha hunting?”

“Following a Zavala worry about some Devils.”

“There are no more Devils,” Shin said.

“Try telling Zavala that,” she rolled her eyes.

“Tomorrow?”

“Day after. You wash your damn cloak yet?”

“No. Just to spite you,” he teased her right back.

“I swear I’m just giving you one of mine,” she said. That really shook him up because he didn’t respond.

“Day after?” Shin coughed out.

“Sure, it’s a date.” Shin immediately cut off transmission. “What an idiot,” she said to herself, almost fondly.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Ghost asked.

“It’s fine.”

“It seems pretty mean to Shin,” he said, shell turning into a frown.

“Well if he’d just deal with his bullshit we wouldn’t be here,” she huffed. “If he wasn’t so damn oblivious.”

“I’d say you can be sometimes too,” Ghost said. 

“Yeah well at least I ain’t hung up on someone and then ignore the fact that they get jealous of me,” she blew a raspberry as best she could in her helmet. Then she paused. “Do I?” Wolf asked her Ghost.

“I mean you’ve got plenty of Guardians who’d give up their Light for you to notice you,” Ghost said.

“Eh. Ain’t got the time for that. World’s always ending,” she looked up at the clear blue sky. She knew on other worlds the view was dominated by ominous pyramids. Hopefully the Light kept it back from home long enough for them to figure out what to do about it.

* * *

She played Gambit every day for a week with Shin, the longest time he’d stayed close to the Tower in months. Every day when she went to get bounties Drifter would make some snide comment about how good of friends she and Shin were. She’d just pause and say, yes, they were good friends. She knew it infuriated him. By the end of the week Drifter had thick black circles under his eyes from not sleeping. She almost felt bad.

Almost.

If they weren’t going to figure their shit out she was just going to let them both suffer. Especially since Shin mentioned more than once how rough Drifter looked, even showing some concern for his normally untempered enthusiasm for Gambit. Drifter’s commentary was lackluster after the first few days. At least during their matches. He at least pretended to give a shit for other Gambiteers.

Wolf didn’t plan on stopping what she was doing until one of them broke. Either Drifter out of jealousy he wasn’t acknowledging, or Shin out of concern he pretended not to have.

She had all the time in the world to see it through too.

* * *

Ten days of Gambit in a row was so tedious. Usually Shin was only around three days max and she only played with Shin. So it was normally bearable to sit in her ship all day waiting for her turn in the fight. But Traveler’s Light! Gambit was boring ninety percent of the time except for that moment you got to actually do some fighting.

She shrugged off her armor and hung up her cloak after the last match. She was genuinely tired. The last match had been a rough one. The invaders kept targeting her over and over again all day. Which did nothing but piss Shin off and he bullied them hard when it was his turn to invade. She wasn’t sure Drifter hadn’t given some of his better Dredgens specific instruction to specifically target her. Sounded like something an overly jealous bastard like Drifter would do.

She was peeled down to her thermal layer when a ping came through from the cockpit. “What?” Wolf grumbled to herself and went to accept it. “Wolf here,” she said, knowing it could be from one of her fireteam.

It was, but not the one she was expecting. “Wolf, it's Shin,” he said. He sounded so awkward.

“Yeah? What’s up Shin? We playing tomorrow too?” She’d really rather take a day long bath. Or go to one of the spas down in the City. They gave Guardians good deals. Didn’t matter how many times your Ghost brought you back, the knots in your back and shoulders stayed.

“Can I jump over?”

What? She squinted at the screen. “Sure, I guess,” she wasn’t sure what to make of the request. Usually they played, transmatted into their own ships after and didn’t see each other again until transmatting down into the derelict. “It’s kinda a mess, don’t say shit,” and she sent her transmat thread through the feed.

She heard and felt the shift of Shin transmatting into her ship. “What’s up?” Wolf asked, leaving the cockpit to confront Shin. He was surprised to see her. She was without her hood or her armor. “Uh, Traveler to Shin,” she said when he didn’t respond.

“You’re way smaller out of your armor,” he blurted out.

She just sighed with a small smile. “Yeah. Most people are surprised to. How’d little ole me kill so many Big Bads?”

Shin yanked his helmet off. His black hair was plastered to his head and he looked very unsure of himself. “Well I know it ain’t just you. You got that fireteam of yours.”

“True. Everyone forgets that part of the story though,” she lamented. “So what’s up?” Wolf moved around to collect her armor scattered on the ground and hang it on one of the three armor stands she kept on her ship, one for every occasion. 

“Must be nice. Having a fireteam,” he stammered.

“Sometimes. Other times it's like having a bunch of voices in your head all talking at once,” she grinned. “But I wouldn’t be able to handle everything thrown at me without them.”

“I imagine they feel the same way about you. They’d be crazy if they didn’t.”

“Sometimes the love is not as forthcoming,” she said.

“I know I really like having you on my fireteam,” Shin said quietly, his voice near.

She stilled. Oh no.

When she turned around Shin had come up to her which made her jump. She hadn’t even heard him. “Sorry,” he said, as polite as he was when not aggravated about something.

“It’s fine,” she said. “Well I’m always down to fireteam,” she smiled awkwardly. She really hoped Shin didn’t do something stupid.

Nope. Was about to do something stupid.

Like try to kiss her.

“Nope,” she put her hand on his face before he could do it. He looked at her through her fingers, confused, mad, and annoyed all at once. “Sorry bud, that’s the wrong move,” and she pushed him away.

He staggered back. “What?” Then he looked very hurt. “Were you playing me?” Shin demanded.

“I mean technically I was playing Drifter, but yeah I guess,” she said.

He looked confused and was thinking very hard. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Traveler’s Light,” she sighed. “Have you not noticed?”

“Noticed what? All I notice is you acting like a freak right now. Acting all nice and chummy and then this,” he scowled at her and was very hurt. 

Wolf sat casually on her chair by her gear. “Shin, bud, I’m not the Lightbearer you should be kissing.” Shin just looked confused. “Have you seen Drifter?”

“Yeah. He looks like shit.”

“And you’re very worried about it,” she said.

“I am not.”

“Ghost, can you play that thing I asked you to record today?” Wolf asked her Ghost.

Ghost shimmered into sight next to her and played the interaction Shin had had with Drifter that morning down at the Annex.

‘Hey there, hot shot.’

‘Morning— you sure you can control that piece of trash today?’

‘Heh. Thanks for the concern.’

‘Seriously. If it gets out of hand it’ll take too much to contain it. You should really take care of yourself a bit more.’

‘You worry about yourself.’

‘Yeah well I’m worried about you right now so we don’t all get real deathed out there because you can’t control your little Light experiment.’

‘Hmph!’

‘Get some sleep, Drifter.’

‘Maybe I will.’

“I don’t see your point,” Shin said when Ghost had finished playing but his forehead was red.

“You know how many times I’ve said almost the exact same thing to Drifter and he’s told me to fuck off?”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant,” he insisted.

“You still have that clip from a few weeks ago, Ghost?” Wolf asked him.

“Oh. Yes,” he said, his shell spinning in absolute delight at the mild torment he was inflicting on Shin Malphur. No wonder she was his Guardian. It was from one of Shin’s one sided conversations she hadn’t really been listening to until she had been and had her Ghost record it. Just for a reason like this if Shin was up to his neck in his own bullshit.

‘-can’t stand this guy. Everything he does pisses me off.... well okay. Not everything. But a lot of stuff! But it’s driving me crazy lately. I don’t ever see him this much and I swear I hear his grating voice in my sleep. Not that I sleep much. But when I do. It's there. I must be going crazy. Bad enough he’s talkin in my ear now I gotta hear it in my sleep? Ugh!’

The recording cut off. “Now, who could that be?”

Shin had zero poker face outside of his helmet. He was too used to being unreadable. The red of his forehead had moved down to the rest of his face. “That could be anyone,” he insisted, sounding like a weak lie even then.

“It could be. But it isn’tttttt,” she cooed.

He stood there stupidly. “Okay fine! It is! Fuck! You happy now?” Shin demanded.

“That you were finally truthful with yourself and how you feel? Shin I’m thrilled,” she said, genuine. He didn’t know how to take that.

“Not like it matters. What do you expect me to do about it huh? He keeps that Trust in his front sash in case I show up.”

“I mean he’s pretty worked up as it is. Probably wouldn’t take much more to make him do something,” she said.

“Like what?”

“He’s already out of his mind I’m hitting on you every time we play together.”

“I honestly haven’t noticed.”

“That’s because you’re an idiot,” he scowled at her. “Just listen to him next time we’re playing.”

“You’re always talking.”

“Between that. He’s real upset.”

“So... you’re a genius here, what am I supposed to do about it?”

“Just trust me when I tell you he’s a wreck.” Shin nodded. “And I think you could push him into doing something about it.”

“Like what? And what am I supposed to want him to do?”

She stared at him. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Do I look serious to you!” Shin demanded, flaring up Solar hot for a second like a new Light.

“Man when was the last time you got laid?” Shin didn’t answer that question. “A while huh. Well let's hope for a kiss at least.” Shin’s face burned. “And as for what you should do? I mean I imagine he’d lose his mind if you actually flirted back at me.”

Shin was very still. “I didn’t even think of that.”

“Men,” she sighed and put her hand over her face. “Do you even know how to flirt you old Lightbulb?”

“I thought I was doing alright,” he admitted.

“Dude, yikes,” she said. He scowled at her. She got up and opened a cabinet above her gear. It was full of neatly folded cloaks. She pulled out two of them. They were the same, different shader applied, different elemental alignment. “Here,” she offered it to him.

He didn’t take it. “I can’t just take your cloak,” he said.

“You want to get laid or what dumbass?” Wolf snapped. “It only means something if you let it. Now take the cloak, wear it tomorrow during our matches.”

Shin still didn’t take it right away. Then he took it from her carefully, like he was being tricked. She’d given him the Solar aligned one. “It clashes,” he said, holding it against his breastplate.

“You have my permission to change it,” she said. “If you wear it you won’t even have to do anything different. Drifter knows what it means.”

Shin frowned. “How do you know this’ll work?”

“Because Drifter’s a control freak maniac who’s getting super pissed off at me,” she said. “Just follow my lead tomorrow, it’ll be fine.”

Shin didn’t look so sure. “You sure?”

“I’m never sure about anything, but I like to think I know Drifter well enough by now,” she replaced the cloak hanging by her Gambit gear with the Arc aligned one that matched Shin’s. She folded the other one up neatly and put it in the wall mounted basket. Cloaks to wash. Something Shin could use!

“So... tomorrow?” Shin asked her.

“Yeah. Tomorrow. Now get the fuck off my ship, dumbass,” she was tired.

Shin looked down at the cloak in his hand and gave her the casual Hunter salute. She smiled and did it back. He transmatted out. She sat down on her lounge dramatically. “He’s so dumb,” she cried at her Ghost.

“Yes, but that’s what he’s got a friend like you for,” Ghost said nicely.

“I know. He doesn’t deserve me at all,” she sighed dramatically. Ghost just laughed quietly to himself.

* * *

Gambit the next day was weird. For starters as soon as Drifter saw Wolf and Shin when they arrived, together, to pick up their bounties he looked like he wanted to crawl out of his skin. That or yank out his Trust and shoot them both. She wouldn’t have blamed him really. When the Guardian you were jealous of and the Guardian you wanted showed up in matching marks it was enough to drive you crazy.

He just said some snide comment of, “Well well, love birds are matching now, huh?” His voice was ice cold and he was so mad but hiding it the best he could. She saw Shin saw and heard it now.

Wolf hadn’t commented on that, “His cloak was dirty,” and then transmatted out.

Then the actual Gambit games were a mess. Like the day before every invader prioritized killing her first before moving onto other members of the fireteam. Sometimes they got her, sometimes she or Shin got them first. Times they did get her Shin was right there to offer a spark of Light to Ghost to bring her back before normal. He made a show of patting her down to make sure she was alright too. 

Usually when they crossed paths it was a one way road before now. Wolf teasing his cloak, patting his shoulder, his arm, overly congratulating him on invasions. This time it was a two way street and it was so weird. She wasn’t used to Shin flirting back at her. Though she had actually shot him, in the leg, recoverable, when he’d given her ass a pat when they’d been bickering about who got the purple glimmer from the generator. He’d absolutely done it to distract her but a bullet in the leg meant she got it instead. 

Guess he did know how to fake flirt to piss someone off. Because Drifter was livid. But it just came off as ice and ignoring what they did, only commenting on it when he absolutely had to to maintain the illusion he wasn’t mad.

On the last match she was killed the same moment they killed their Prime by an invader. She was dead, but somehow inhabited a space inside Ghost as well? It was confusing. Then her diaphragm jerked open and air rushed into her lungs. She was alive again. Shin was over her. “Sorry about that,” he offered her a hand up. She took it.

“We win?”

“Yeah. And I got that bastard who got you.”

“Thanks,” and just to really ram it home for Drifter, who she knew was watching just them because he was obsessive, she leaned the front of her helmet against Shin’s.

“Uh, Wolf?” Shin asked almost silently over helmet speakers.

“It’ll make him mad,” was all she said.

“Oh,” and he didn’t question it further. Then she felt the tingle of a transmat and stepped back. Funky stuff happened when you tried to transmat two people at the same time. Drifter had nothing to say during the post game. Wolf didn’t make Shin do their normal handshake before she left. These guys had to figure their shit out.

* * *

Two days of being every invader's target Wolf needed a break. So she’d told Shin she wasn’t going to play with him the next day. Instead she hung out with her fireteam who hadn’t seen her in eleven days.

“Where have you been?” Cat asked.

“You look like shit,” Fox said.

“Playing Gambit,” Wolf said.

“Sounds horrible.”

“Oh, it is. Hopefully I won’t have to play much longer.”

“You working towards something? I thought that weirdo Drifter liked you and showered you with good loot?” Rat asked.

“I worked for it. He didn’t just give it to me, okay,” Wolf sighed. “And not really towards a weapon. But something.”

“Yeah. What?”

Wolf contemplated what to say. “A friend of mine likes this guy who plays Gambit a lot. They asked me to be their wingman and so they wouldn’t get killed every twelve seconds since they aren’t very good.”

The others laughed. “How nice of you, Wolf,” Fox said.

“How come you never come be our wingman? Do you know how easy it’d be with the Bane of Oryx around?”

“Exactly,” Wolf said. “I can’t make it too easy for you,” she scoffed. 

“Booo. So you’re done with Gambit right?”

“I sure fucking hope so. At least for a while. We’re taking the day off today though. Maybe I can catch up on some work.”

“You’re a workaholic, take a day off,” Rat said.

“Gambit was my day off,” Wolf said.

“Sounds like a shitty day off,” Cat muttered. She ignored them and announced she was going to the ADZ again. She hadn’t found any trace of the Devils yet but Zavala was still sending her messages about Fallen activity there. Meaning he personally wanted her to go check it out. It sucked being the favorite.

She spent most of the day in the ADZ in her ship, doing scans, making sure this part of the continent was quiet but Shin pinged her making sure they were on for Gambit tomorrow. “I hate Gambit,” she muttered to herself after confirming with Shin and disconnecting.

“You could tell him you need a few days of rest. Drifter’s been really hard on you the past couple of days.”

“Nothing for it,” she huffed.

“If you say so. Also, I know you hate me reminding you, but your umbrals are stacking up again,” he motioned with his body to the back of the ship where it was messy. Umbrals were in a disorganized pile. 

She grimaced. “I’ll take care of that tonight. If I’m even allowed in after hours anymore.” She set her ship to take her back to the City. 

“I have the code to open the gate,” Ghost said helpfully.

“Heh. Well I’ll get it done.”

She landed in the Annex a little while later. It was quiet. No one was here, meaning Drifter was closed up for the night. But a light was still pouring out of his base of operations. Meaning he was in.

The gate was closed, the room empty. At least it looked empty from this angle. “Locked,” she said as she tried to open it. Normally Drifter left it unlocked until he’d left for the night.

“I got it,” Ghost said.

“Wait,” she grabbed him as he was about to pick the lock.

“What?” Ghost asked.

She’d been looking around, seeing if she could see Drifter, making sure he hadn’t collapsed in exhaustion. There was a cloak abandoned on the ground off to the side. Her cloak. Well the one she’d given to Shin. “What?” Ghost asked again.

“I think they figured their shit out,” she said and noticed an array of weapons on the raised area Drifter usually stood. Two hand cannons, a shotgun and fusion rifle, and a single rocket launcher. Three of them were Shin’s. There was also a dizzying display of knives, over half were also Shin’s. 

“So are we not going to use the recaster?” Ghost asked.

“Nah. I’m going to get some sleep, ask Shin how it went in the morning,” and she walked away. As she did she swore she heard some voice from further in the room. But she didn’t turn around to see. Maybe they’d get some damn sleep too.


End file.
